Dr. Wagner celebrated the opening of the Krueger Center by hosting a pajama party for students and employees.

The sunny Sabbath afternoon found six or seven students at Dr. Malcolm and Sharon Russell’s home. The two Union College employees, he the vice president for Academic Administration, and she the director of guest services, often invited students to their home. As we settled in, talking and laughing, the smell of lasagna drifted from the kitchen.

LuAnn Davis, vice president for Advancement at Union College, was presented a leadership award at the Union College Board of Trustees meeting on February 10, 2014. The award acknowledged Davis’ efforts in guiding the Our Promising Future campaign for the new Krueger Center for Science and Mathematics. Board chair Tom Lemon and campaign chair Kent Thompson presented the award to a surprised Davis at the February meeting.

How care packages kept alumni connected to Union College while serving in Vietnam

For Allan Stone, there was nothing like a cookie and the latest issue of the Clocktower, especially when stuck in a war zone thousands of miles from Union College’s peaceful campus.

It was 1969 and Stone had been drafted into the U.S. Army and shipped to Vietnam just months after graduating from Union with a degree in business administration. So far from home, he and his fellow soldiers often found it difficult to stay connected with loved ones.

Dr. Vinita Sauder joined the Union College family in the summer of 2014.

Dr. Vinita Sauder, who most recently served as vice president for Strategic Initiatives at Southern Adventist University, has accepted the invitation of the Union College Board of Trustees to serve as Union's next president. She will transition to her new role at Union over the summer.

Spencer Way just graduated in May, but before doing so, he sat down with us and talked about ... well ... pretty much everything. Before we edited it down, the conversation we recorded was three hours long, and that doesn't include the time we chatted before starting to record. Suffice it to say, Spencer is very interesting and very interested in nearly everything.

Working on scholarship applications over the summer gives you the freedom to focus on studying and having a great college experience.

(Photo of Emily after Project Impact, Union's community service day.)

Working on scholarship applications over the summer gives you the freedom to focus on studying and having a great college experience.

(Photo of Emily playing guitar on a Sabbath afternoon.)

When I came to Union College as a freshman in the fall of 2013, I brought $15,750 worth of outside scholarship money with me. Combined with the scholarships I got from Union, I received a total of $43,250—enough to pay for my entire freshman year and then some. The story of this amazing haul started with my decision to come to Union, and my uncertainty about whether I could afford it.

Shawna Ansari loves camp. She's spent most of her summers at North Star Camp in Minnesota, first as a camper, then a volunteer, and moving her way up through the ranks of workers to be assistant director. She's seen the power summer camp has had in her own life, and wants to give children a similar transformative experience. In this episode, she shares her love for the unique experience of camp, and of course there are plenty of (hopefully) interesting side topics discussed.

Dr. Vinita Sauder, currently vice president for strategic initiatives at Southern Adventist University, has been selected as Union College's next president.

Dr. Vinita Sauder, currently vice president for strategic initiatives at Southern Adventist University, has accepted the invitation of the Union College Board of Trustees to serve as Union's next president.

The appointment will fill the position soon to be vacated by John Wagner when he retires in June. Wagner joined Union College for a third time in 2011 to help complete the $14.5 million Our Promising Future campaign and build the new Krueger Center for Science and Mathematics.

Union celebrated the opening of the Krueger Center for Science and Mathematics with a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 8.

Even when angry skies drove the ceremony indoors, more than 200 employees, students, alumni and friends of Union College found reason to celebrate as the new Krueger Center for Science and Mathematics was officially opened with a ribbon cutting on May 8.

The Union College Red Cross Club was honored at the American Red Cross Tribute to Heroes 2014 dinner for participation in the Red Cross disaster response team.

For students in Union College’s new Red Cross Club, being a hero doesn’t always mean committing acts of selfless bravery such as rescuing someone from a burning building or raging river.

Sometimes it’s the little things that count.

At their annual Tribute to Heroes banquet on May 1, the Cornhusker Chapter of the American Red Cross honored the Union College students with the Tribute to Heroes Disaster Relief Award for “unconditional service and support to the Cornhusker Disaster Action Team.”

Lindsay Harrison, a senior nursing major, treats a patient at a mobile medical clinic in Frontier Nursing class in Nicaragua over spring break.

“Lindsay, get up, there is a woman in labor that needs our help.” The voice from the darkness jarred Union College nursing major Lindsay Harrison from her midnight slumber. As her mind cleared of its sleepy grogginess, suddenly the hot Nicaraguan jungle, the villagers and her Frontier Nursing class came flooding back into her consciousness.

She quickly jumped from her resting place and discovered the disembodied voice belonged to Adam Neep, a Union international rescue and relief student who had come to take her to the laboring mother in the nearby village.

Chaz Spellman's photo "Brian" won a second place in the Nebraska Independent College Foundation/O'Keefe Elevator Company Art Show.

What started as a hobby, a passion and a ministry has made junior Chaz Spellman $200 richer.

The Union College theology major won second place in the two dimentional art category in the 2014 Nebraska Independant College Foundation/O’Keefe Elevator Company Art Show.

The annual show awarded prizes for two dimensional and three dimensional art, which included photography, paintings and illustrations, and held an awards reception on Thursday, April 10, at the O’Keefe Elevator Gallery.

For Vernée Norman, the busy schedule that accompanies college life often keeps her occupied almost her capacity. She has found that Peace Week allows her and other Union College students to step beyond her own responsibilities and think about serving others. “To me, Peace Week is about the Union campus taking time to intentionally think about their actions and how they affect other people,” explained the senior second language studies major.

After being closed since heavy rains caused significant flooding on April 13, the Larson Lifestyle Center pool will reopen at 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23.

Swimming lessons for the current session have been cancelled and a new session will begin on May 12. Customers enrolled in the current session should contant the Larson Lifestyle Center at 402.486.2525.

The weight room will remain closed indefinitely. Union College students should contact Student Services at 402.486.2507 to learn about alternate workout facility options.

How are passion and joy connected? Kathy Bollinger, professor of education, joins hosts Scott Cushman and Emily Wood explore this subject with her, as well as discussing Union's education program, finding a calling, and competition vs. collaboration.

Securing financial aid and working out a payment plan can seem like a daunting process, even for seasoned seniors. But the folks in the Student Financial Services office are constantly looking for ways to make the process easier.

This will be especially important now that a new federal law mandates that all students must have their student accounts paid in full at the end of each academic year. This means you will need to have your previous 2013-2014 balance paid before completing fall registration as well as make your first monthly payment for the 2014-2015 year by August 1.

When Union students Tyler Morrison and Ricky Melendez first heard Pastor Jonathan Burnett speak, it was love at first sermon. “We were doing worship for the North Dakota youth conference meeting over the summer when we first heard him speak,” said Morrison. “After hearing him speak and being moved by his message we knew we had to get him to Union.”

The mixed online/offline format frees up professors' time from lecturing and grading and lets them focus on individual student learning.

This is a different kind of math classroom. To start with, it's very quiet. Most of the students wear headphones, and the teacher isn't standing at the front. Instead of lecturing, Dr. Larry Ray, professor of mathematics, has pulled up a chair beside a student to help work through a tricky problem. As soon as that student understands, he hurries off to the next raised hand. This is a new online/offline hybrid mathematics class at Union for students taking precalculus and calculus.

Mike Yankoski, author of "Under the Overpass," will speak for Family Worship on Friday, March. 28 at 7:30.

Mike Yankoski didn’t grow up on the streets. But the noted author, speaker, youth pastor and Compassion International ambassador will share what he learned about being homeless after living on the streets of America during Family Worship on Friday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Union College Library is seeking nominations for the 2014 Teacher of the Year Award. This award recognizes a Union College teacher's support of the library during the school year and grants him or her the opportunity to expand an area of the library's collection which is of particular professional interest.

What is the value of an Adventist education? Or any higher education for that matter? That's a question Becky Daniel, director of enrollment marketing, gets asked all the time. In this podcast, hosts Scott Cushman and Emily Wood explore the subject with her, plus plenty of side excursions onto related topics. Some cliff notes include: